Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 04:4 (Fall 1995)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

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RAR 4:4 (Fall 1995) p. 127

Book Reviews

Jubilate II: Church Music in Worship and Renewal, Donald P. Hustad. Carol Stream, Illinois: Hope Publishing Company (1993). 595 pages, cloth, $29.95.

This book is the second edition of Jubilate! Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition (Hope, 1981). The title change is significant. In this second edition, Hustad explores patterns of worship and renewal in a much wider range of Christian traditions than in the first edition, thereby making the book useful to a much broader audience. Readers from many denominations (or even nondenominational fellowships) may find much of interest here. Hustad’s fine scholarship is combined with a writing style which, though by no means condescending or simplistic, is accessible to readers from many backgrounds: non specialist readers with an interest in church history and music, scholars, and church leaders who need to make day-to-day decisions about music (pastors, musicians, educators, worship committee members, and so on.)

Even readers who are familiar with the earlier edition will find Jubilate II well worth reading, as the improvements are substantial. Besides the wider-ranging treatment mentioned above, many sections are revised to include findings of recent research; some errors have been corrected; reordering of material and inclusion of more subheadings have increased the ease of use; large sections have been added to bring the historical and practical sections up to the present day, and the music lists and excellent bibliography have been thoroughly updated.

Though Hustad has a wide acquaintance with church music, he writes specifically from an evangelical perspective. Much of his lengthy professional experience reflects this. For example, he has taught at Moody Bible Institute (Chicago) and

RAR 4:4 (Fall 1995) p. 128

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky), and has played organ for Billy Graham crusades. He is familiar with the needs of churches and with the uses (and abuses) of music, both in discipling the faithful and in reaching the seeker, and he has a firm grasp of the musical dilemmas that have seized many churches in recent years.

The book is organized in three large sections. In the first part of the book, the author lays the foundation for understanding music’s role in the church and gives many practical suggestions for planning worship. In the second part of the book, he traces a “history of music in Christian worship and renewal” from Bible times to the twentieth century, with special emphasis on Reformed traditions and American practice. In the third part of the book, he deals with present conditions in worship. Once again, he offers many practical suggestions, even in matt...

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